Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission forwards light-commercial zoning amendment to city council with setback and buffer changes
Summary
The Syracuse City Planning Commission voted to recommend a new Light Commercial zone to the city council but amended the draft to require a 15-foot front setback, use Buffer Type D for adjacency to single-family, and replace the word "car" with "vehicle" in lighting standards.
The Syracuse City Planning Commission voted to forward an ordinance creating a Light Commercial zone to the Syracuse City Council, recommending three specific changes to the draft: set the front-yard building setback to 15 feet, require Buffer Type D where Light Commercial adjoins single-family residential, and replace the word "car" with "vehicle" in the lighting/headlight standard.
Planning staff reviewed the draft ordinance and noted it retained conservative lot standards including a one-story height limit and larger side and rear yards. Staff pulled the city's buffer-yard code for discussion, saying the municipal buffer table currently indicates a 6-foot fence (type C) adjacent to single-family uses but that the planning commission may determine buffer type where the table is not explicit. "Planning commission may determine the buffer type if it is not clearly described in table 2," staff said during the hearing, referencing the buffer provisions discussed.
Commissioners debated the appropriate buffer and setback. One commissioner said requiring Buffer Type D would allow more landscape area and precast concrete options and would provide about 15 feet of landscaping rather than the 6-foot fence in Type C. After discussion about encouraging parking behind buildings and enhancing frontage landscaping, a commissioner stated, "I I agree with 15," in support of changing the front-yard setback to 15 feet.
The motion forwarded the ordinance to city council with the stated exceptions: change the front-yard setback to 15 feet, require buffer Type D (instead of Type C) where Light Commercial adjoins single-family residential, and change the word "car" to "vehicle" in the lighting/headlight standard (as staff had suggested to address headlights crossing sidewalks). The planning commission voted by voice; commissioners recorded "aye" with no opposed votes noted.
Staff indicated the commission can either explicitly include the Buffer Type D requirement in the Light Commercial ordinance text or recommend an amendment to the buffer-yard chapter; the commission chose to have the ordinance text specify Buffer Type D for this zone. The commission also discussed variations of front-yard setback (15 vs. 25 feet) and settled on 15 feet to help encourage parking to the rear and to improve frontage landscaping.
